Build you own Ring Flash...

So there are a number of blogs out there on the web that specialize in giving tips and tricks to the digital photographer. With the prices dropping fast and furious along with the availability of "pro-sumer" DSLR's, more and more people are making the jump. The great quandry of course though is: is this saturation of new users lowering the quality of pictures taken? Are we as a society decreasing our intelligence by increasing our need for the "snapshot?" I will let the others dispute these thoughts until the cows come home. That's not what this blog is about.

What I thought I would do is start to include links to other blogs that introduce cool new ideas into the realm of photography. So, as we roll in 2007, you will start to see some links to other cool blogs and websites. I will try to feature something new every day or so.

Today we start with a really neat feature I found on the "DigiHack's" blog. The author gives a great tutorial on how to build your own ring flash. For those of you who don't know what a ring flash is, it is a device that is typically circular that you put your lens through which allows for a very flat, illuminated subject without any shadows. You will see this used in fashion photography quite often. To top it all off, the catch lights that are created in the eye of the subject are really cool.

So if you have a moment and are interested in building your own budget ring flash, have a wander over to: DigiHack

At the bottom is a good example of the quality of light produced by a ring flash.

Cheers!
t.

Uncle Trevor? I think I like it!!!

So this was a pretty good Christmas. No, this was a pretty awesome Christmas!! Dana's sister (my sister-in-law) Alison and her husband Arek gave birth to a little baby girl on Christmas Eve! At 4:41pm, December 24th, 2006, Julia (pronounced Yulia) Cur came in to this world. Alison was a real trooper through the whole experience. Actually, I think she probably had one of the best birthing processes you could wish for! That's good because she deserved it! We can only hope Dana and I get so lucky (when our time comes of course - I am not using this opportunity to tell you that we are having a baby so stop asking!!!)

Alison called me Uncle Trevor at the hospital on Sunday and it was the first time I had ever been called that. Really cool experience!

Below are some pictures of my beautiful niece. What a great Christmas present for all of us!

t.

the "Mothers" getting the good news:


the happy Father and his Mom:


our first glipse of Julia:


the cute little Santa hat the nurses put on her:


Mother and Daughter:


Father and Daughter:


a very proud Aunt:


an equally proud Grand Dad:


what's this? A yawn? Sooooo cute!

Eilean Donan Castle

This is one of the beautiful castles Dana and I saw while on our honeymoon in Scotland. As you can see, it is quite picturesque and has been maintained very well. We learned that over the years, the castle had been expanded and contracted with the tennants that occupied it. At one point, it was much larger than it is today. We were able to walk through most of the rooms and the courtyard within the castle, learning about the hardships it has been through over the years.

This picture was taken with the Canon 350D and a Tamron 19-35 lens, shot around 1pm in the afternoon. I absolutely love the reflections in the water!

Cheers!
t.

Reminiscing is fun!!!

Over this past weekend, friends Sharon and Brian had some of us over for a Christmas Party. While there, Jay unveiled his long-awaited wedding DVD of Yvan and Kathryn's wedding last September (2005 that is). I thought I would include a couple pictures from that fine, fine day.

The happy couple:



Their beautiful cake:



And Leigh ROCKIN' out:



Ahhh, good times!

t.

One Sexy Beast

Annabelle is my girl. She may be a little big bone(ded) but I love her nonetheless.

I had a chance to use Canon's 70-200L F2.8 for a bit and man, what a wonderful piece of glass. The clarity is outstanding, the USM is dead silent, the focusing is quick and painless, and the consistent 2.8 across the entire range is just to die for. This is the first piece of "L" glass that I have had a chance to use and I don't think I can go back!

Love it (and her too)!

t.